Argentina vs Croatia match in numbers

Argentina, led by superstar Lionel Messi, came into the World Cup as one of the favourites but they face a big roadblock in the semi-final on Tuesday with 2018 runners-up Croatia, who proved too much for the other title contenders, Brazil.

The Croatians stunned the tournament favourites in the quarter-finals with a vintage performance, after going a goal down in extra-time but digging deep to bounce back and force a penalty shootout that they ended up winning.

With a never-say-die attitude, even when the odds were stacked heavily against them, disciplined Croatia are now deservedly in their second straight World Cup semi-final, and underestimating them would come at Argentina's risk.

Playmaker Luka Modric has been their driving force at the age of 37, a motivation for everyone else in the squad.

With no players suspended and no injury concerns following the return of defender Borna Sosa, Zlatko Dalic's team is brimming with confidence and ready for more.

The Argentines, on the other hand, have their work cut out.

Defenders Marcos Acuna, a starter, and Gonzalo Montiel are suspended because of bookings, limiting coach Lionel Scaloni's options at the back.

Nicolas Tagliafico could come on to replace the former but it will be a less attacking formation, with wingback Acuna having added more spark to the team. A question mark also hangs over veteran Angel Di Maria and his fitness.

Croatia came through two shootouts and extra-time to reach the 2018 final before losing to France and have gone to penalties in both their knockout stage matches in Qatar to boast a 4-0 perfect record. Based on that statistic, another one against Argentina would most likely carry them into the final.

When?

14th December, Wednesday, 01:00 am

Where?

Lusail Stadium, Doha

Capacity: 88,966

Head-to-head

Matches 5

Argentina 2

Croatia 2

Draw 1

Probable lineups:

Argentina: (4-3-3) E. Martinez (GK), Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico, Fernandez, De Paul, Mac Allister, Di Maria, Messi, Alvarez

Croatia: (4-3-3) Livakovic (GK), Juranovic, Gvardiol, Lovren, Sosa, Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic, Pasalic, Kramaric, Perisic

Key stats:

* Croatia are in their second consecutive World Cup semi-final after losing to France in the 2018 World Cup final. They also have a perfect record in penalty shootouts, having come out on top in all four they have contested so far in their history.

* Bruno Petkovic's 117th-minute equaliser against Brazil in the quarter-final was the latest goal Croatia have scored in a World Cup match. It was also their first shot on goal in that game.

* Croatia will be looking to become the first back-to-back finalists since Brazil in 2002

* Argentina captain Lionel Messi is eyeing his second World Cup final, after his team lost to Germany in 2014. The World Cup trophy is the only major title missing from his collection, which includes every big club and national team title.

* Argentina started their tournament with a defeat to Saudi Arabia but have since conceded just three goals in four matches to make it to the last four for the sixth time.

* They have won the title twice, in 1978 and 1986, and have been runners-up on three occasions.

Previous meetings:

* The teams have met twice before at a World Cup with the Croats beating the South Americans 3-0 in the group stage in 2018 after Argentina came out on top (1-0) at the same stage back in 1998.

Their overall head-to-head is evenly balanced, having played each other five times, earning two wins each and a draw.

What a shocker it was! No football buff, I believe, saw this coming. Argentina, the powerhouse of world football, are on the brink of elimination this early from the World Cup in Russia.

A 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Croatia numbed the Albiceleste fans, who were rightly expecting the two-time world champions to regroup after the 1-1 draw against World Cup rookies Iceland and hit the right groove.

But the way they played was total rubbish, as our finance minister Abul Maal Muhith would have loved to sum up in disdain. Soon after the humiliation, social media and regular media were abuzz with cries and criticisms, wondering what had gone wrong with Jorge Sampaoli's men.

The scale of fury and frustration has gone up to an unbelievable extent, so much so that 'Don't cry for me, Argentina', the hit song of 1976 in the film Evita, returns to encapsulate the expressions of fans and media alike.

Right from the whistle go, Argentina, studded with superstar and stars, seemed like 11 cats on a hot tin roof. The famed footballers seemingly treated Telstar, the high-tech official football for the tournament, as a ball of fire. Too desperate to dispatch the ball the moment one received it. Defenders exchanged short passes too close to their ball-chasing opponents and went on to lose control of the ball several times in the opening half, drawing groans and grunts from the stands and from millions watching across the globe.

It was too dangerous and absolutely unnecessary. And Argentina paid the first price through their nose because of this madness. Following some short-pass exchanges, goalkeeper Willy Caballero scooped up the ball from deep inside the box for Croatian winger Ante Rebic to hit home perfectly. It was a gift to Croatia from a goof of a goalkeeper. And, for decades to come, it will be seen as one of the ugliest goals ever scored off a blunder.

A crucial match it certainly was. And Argentina could not cope with this pressure. They started off the game with pressure plastered all over their faces. They appeared too tense to think clearly and build a planned attack. The match required cool customers, from coach to keeper. Coach Sampaoli himself demonstrated the unwanted image of impatience. Tensed, Sampaoli was seen stomping around in front of the bench, throwing his hands, grumbling, gesturing, taking his jacket off and what not. This overly tensed image of a manager played a part in pushing his charges over the edge! As it happens in such matches, a staggering 38 fouls were committed, 16 of them by Argentina.

With Argentina being a bundle of raw nerves, Croatia could take total control of the match gradually. Luka Modric showed his opposite number Lionel Messi how a No 10 was supposed to play by hammering in a pile-driver after twisting and turning through a few defenders. Ivan Rakitic made it 3-0 some time after his magnificent free-kick ricocheted off the far post.

So, should Argentine daggers be out for Messi, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner and arguably the greatest player on earth? It will be very unfair.

Argentina is more than Messi. In fact, all the glittering stars of leading clubs make Argentina. Javier Mashcherano, Sergio Aguero, Enzo Perez, Eduardo Salvio, Gonzalo Higuain, Angel di Maria, Paulo Dybala and so on. Together, they should have formed a team of Invincibles.

Unfortunately, Sampaoli, like his predecessors, failed to mould his players into a team. They played like listless individuals and without any objective. They were eleven players but still not a team. Here the role of a coach becomes so crucial. Sampaoli failed to play that role. He also appears not to be a good tactician.

Argentina didn't have a game plan. If they had one, they forgot about it as soon as they entered the field. They played like disjointed pieces of a machine. Defence was delinked from midfield and midfield oblivious of its forwards. The supply from midfield to Messi or other forwards was almost nil. Argentina was designed to fail.

Croatia advance to the round of 16, and Argentina hope against hope for a miracle in Group D to qualify as the other team. And if that does not happen, the World Cup would be less exciting without Messi.

The writer is former Sports Editor of The Daily Star 

Lionel Messi and Luka Modric face off in a mouthwatering World Cup semi-final between Argentina and Croatia on Tuesday, desperate to seize their final chance to win football's ultimate prize.

In the second semi-final on Wednesday, reigning champions France take on giant-killing Morocco, the first African team ever to reach the last four of a World Cup.

But first all eyes will be on the cavernous Lusail Stadium, where Messi, now 35, will attempt to fire Argentina into the final for the second time in eight years against the 2018 runners-up.

Messi, who suffered defeat to Germany in the 2014 final, is desperate to crown an extraordinary career by emulating another Argentine great, the late Diego Maradona, who lifted the trophy in 1986.

The Paris Saint-Germain forward was a pivotal figure in Friday's stormy quarter-final win over the Netherlands, when a record 18 yellow cards were shown and players from both sides were involved in a melee as the referee fought to regain control.

Even the normally mild-mannered Messi was caught up in the bad blood, shouting abuse at Dutch players while he was being interviewed after the game.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni defended his players' conduct on Monday, insisting they had nothing to apologise for.

"The game the other day was played in the right way by both teams. That is football," said the 44-year-old Argentina coach.

"I don't buy this idea that we don't know how to win. The game was played in the right way."

Croatia, who beat Japan and pre-tournament favourites Brazil in penalty shoot-outs to reach the last four, have not won a knockout game in normal time at a major tournament since the 1998 World Cup, where they came third.

Despite doing it the hard way, the country of fewer than four million people shocked the football world by reaching the final four years ago in Russia, where France crushed their dreams with a 4-2 win.

- Croatia defy odds -

Croatia, with Real Madrid playmaker Modric still the leader on the pitch at the age of 37, have again defied the odds to stand on the brink of a second successive final.

Coach Zlatko Dalic said he wanted Tuesday's match to be remembered as the "greatest game" in the country's history.

"At back-to-back World Cups to be among the four best national teams, that's an extraordinary success for Croatia," he said.

"However, we want more," he added. "I'm optimistic and have full confidence in my players. They've shown their great quality and strength of character, and deserve to be in the final."

France are strong favourites to beat Morocco and take a step closer to defending their title on Wednesday.

But the African team's history-making run to the semis has caught the imagination of a continent and they have been backed by legions of fans in Qatar.

The match will have added spice -- France was Morocco's colonial power and hundreds of thousands of people with Moroccan roots live and work in the country.

France captain Hugo Lloris said the champions were guarding against complacency and were braced for a pro-Morocco crowd.

"We can only have respect and admiration for what they have done, but nothing happens by chance at this level," he said.

"When a team is capable of beating Belgium, Spain and Portugal, and finish top of their group, it is because they have lots of quality on the field and undoubtedly off it too, in terms of cohesion and team spirit.

"They will be formidable opponents, and on top of that there will be a hostile atmosphere in the stadium."

Demand for the match has been so great that Royal Air Maroc has announced it is laying on 30 extra return flights to take euphoric fans to the Gulf state.

Coach Walid Regragui said Morocco were not satisfied with a place in the semi-finals and were hungry for more.

"If you get to the semi-finals and you are not hungry then there is a problem," he said on Tuesday.

"The best team in the tournament, Brazil, is already out. We are an ambitious team and we are hungry but I don't know if that will be enough."

 Argentina made two changes in the starting eleven that won on penalties against the Netherlands for Tuesday's World Cup semi-final against Croatia, who named an unchanged line-up.

Nicolas Tagliafico will start as left full-back in place of suspended Marcos Acuna while Leandro Paredes comes into midfield with defender Lisandro Martinez on the bench.

Croatia will start with the same team that beat Brazil, also on penalties, in the quarter-finals.

Argentina captain Lionel Messi is playing in his 25th World Cup match to level with German great Lothar Matthaeus as the joint record holder for most appearances in the tournament.

Following are the teams:

Argentina: Emiliano Martinez, Cristian Romero, Nicolas Otamendi, Nahuel Molina, Nicolas Tagliafico, Leandro Paredes, Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez, Julian Alvarez, Lionel Messi

Croatia: Dominik Livakovic, Borna Sosa, Ivan Perisic, Dejan Lovren, Mateo Kovacic, Andrej Kramaric, Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic, Mario Pasalic, Josko Gvardiol, Josip Juranovic

Argentina's story in this World Cup has been that of a transformation. From getting handed an unexpected defeat in the opening match against Saudi Arabia to being unbeaten and waltzing through opponents one after another, it feels like we are in for a grand finish! With Argentina running towards their elusive World Cup dream, let us look at the 5 ways Argentina has re-invented them in this world cup.

The worst start acting as the best wakeup call

The Argentine side seemed poised to make a grand entry to this year's World Cup against Saudi Arabia, with the team already up by one goal after half-time, but a second-half spirited display by the Saudis made the unthinkable happen! Argentina got handed the most bitter wakeup call and frankly it set in motion the process of their revamp in this year's competition, having already suffered the worst start, they made sure not to make those mistakes again and with the team playing in the semis, that proved to be the best wakeup call anyone could have asked for!

Captain Messi leading from the front

When was the last time you saw Messi, a player who is universally loved for his gentle persona on and off the field, so charged up and ready to go against anyone for his team? This World Cup we are seeing a different side of Messi, who is less willing to just stand helplessly, and more to lead his team, alone if needed, to get the job done.

From scoring the decisive penalties to getting into a fight with the entire Netherlands team, Messi is on a mission to say goodbye to the World Cup woes of the past, by leading his team to win with exemplary leadership.

Emiliano Martinez, the fiery goalkeeper

Of course, Messi alone cannot do everything for Argentina, he needs help, and he got it in the form of Emil Martinez, their trusted goalkeeper. From giving gritty performances in key matches against Mexico and Australia to the penalty shootout against the intense Dutch side, Martinez has provided the right kind of support to his captain.

When it seemed like Argentina has lost momentum after conceding two late goals, Martinez stepped up in the penalty shootout and saved the first two penalties of the Netherlands. There was not a single Argentine fan in the stands who did not get goosebumps!

Different players stepping up

Messi has all the pressure in the world to deliver for Argentina every time he takes the field, but as football is a team sport, Argentina needed other players to step up, and they did this time. The young Alvarez scoring goals against Australia, Molina's deft finishing against the Netherlands, De Paul acting as the self-described 'bodyguard' of Messi so that he can play his usual game, Lautaro Martinez keeping his calm to score the winning penalty in the shootout — this time the Argentine players are not leaving anything to fate it seems.

Manager with a calming effect

With tensions running high in intense matchups, it is no wonder players are on the edge most of the time. Leading the players this time is the Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni, who has acted as the calming figure of this team. Whenever it seemed like players were losing their tempers or letting the frustrations get the best of them, he stepped in and made sure the shape of the team stays compact and his players focused.